Party hair: Curls and Waves

Friday November 25th 2016

So, I’m
very excited as we are almost in December, one of my favourite months of the
year! If you’re like me you will have lots of events and parties to attend and
may already be planning what to, or what not to wear!

When it
comes to our hair for the occasion we usually think a glamorous outfit requires
a glamorous dress and most ladies would opt to have their hair styled up and
neat. I want to tell you how amazing hair can look down and loose. Look at my
tips for styling the hair down this party season from sexy curls to demure waves.
I have included all my favourite tools and techniques and how to use them quick
and easily.

Curls – So there are so many ways you can curl your
hair and depending on the type of hair you have, including length, each method
might produce a slightly different look on each person. So, it may be a matter for
personal preference. Some methods are quicker than others and some require a
bit of practice to perfect the technique but all worth a go as the results a
nearly always stunning!

Hot sticks – These are bendy sticks
that come inside a heat box or pad. Once the sticks have heated up you can then
one by one take a piece of hair and starting at the end wind the hair around
the stick and into the head. Either bend the stick to secure or fasten the end
into the loop. I find results are achieved very quickly so anytime from 30 mins
to one hour should be enough. Leaving you plenty of time to do other things. A
great time saver and perfect for busy ladies on the go.

When you
are ready to take out the hot sticks they should be nice a cool. It is your
choice how you wish to style you curls. My favourite is to run your fingers
through your hair and with your fingers at the root lightly rub your scalp and
shake some air into the style this will give the style maximum volume and bouncy
curls. Finish with hairspray for an ultimate hold for the evening ahead.

Rags – It’s hard to believe any one
still uses this method to curl the hair but curling the hair from wet is the
most effective way to get a good curl to hold. It is however fairly time
consuming and not recommended if you have super thick hair as you could be
waiting for days for the hair to dry! A rag is timeless way to curl the hair.
Make sure you have strips of cloth (I think in previous years I had cut up one
of my husband’s old t shirts) around 30 cm long. Then either use a setting
lotion or a mouse on the hair and make sure the hair is slightly damp and not
saturated or it won’t work. Take pieces of hair and wind all of the hair around
the cloth and up into the scalp. Then tie the piece into a bow. If you have
long hair this can also look really nice if you only wind up the hair ¾ of the
way and then tie. This looks really effective when you take the bows out. This
is perfect to sleep in and in the morning, you will find you have very curly
hair. Style similar to the above however if you want a more vintage, fluffier
70’s style you could use a bristle brush or a paddle brush to brush the curls
through giving a truly amazing look to even the straightest hair … seriously
try it!!!

Heated Rollers – Heated Rollers are great and
some people think I am against them as I never use them! I just find that the
curls are very loose with this style but this may be great for anyone just
wanting very big bouncy curls with lots of volume. This is quite easy to do and
I would recommend putting the rollers in 1 hour before styling. A great way to
style your hair after taking the rollers out, is to simply tip your head upside
down and shake around and around and then flip your head up. Great results! Alternatively,
you can brush out the curls for a sleeker style. Finish both with plenty of
hairspray.

Waves – Slightly more complex but still very
achievable with the right tools. There are variously strengths of a wave you
can achieve and depending again on hair type you would need to do a trial run
to see if you want very big waves or smaller and more pronounced. Either way
for me there are two types of wave the sleek smooth wave or the messy tousled
wave. I love both!

A wand is a really quick and effective way of
creating a head of spiral curls. This may take a bit or practice to master as
the wand is very hot and you have to try not to burn your hands. Most beginners
should use the glove provided for precaution and safety. Once you have a full
head of spiral curls you can then brush through the whole of the style creating
wonderful waves. If you desire a messier look you can then take small bits of
hair and separately wide them around your finger and run your fingers through
the style to finish. You may want to use a balm instead of spray to give a
softer more textured finish.

A tong - is great if you are looking for more
of a vintage wave. You can curl the hair by tonging the root and feeding the
hair into the tong, this is called root curling. This give a wonderful bend in
the hair which is great for more fun vintage party looks. Pin the curl up with
a clip or a grip to create a pin curl. If you want small flat waves pin the
hair flat to the head if you desire large full waves roll the hair up and pin
up on top of the head. Leave for at least an hour and then dress the hair by
brushing though the curls until they are all nice and connected. Then spray to
finish.

A Blow dry – Blow-drying the hair when damp
using a medium round brush is another way of adding a slight wave to the hair
this also adds volume and a great shape to long layered hair.

The straightening iron – Now your all confused!
However, this really is a ‘can’t live without’ tool for me as it creates
amazing waves effortlessly and quick. Take your iron (a nice slim one usually
works better) take a piece of hair and start at the root and start to slowly
turn the iron whilst sliding down through the piece of hair. Don’t roll up like
a tong as you will get a very different look. This give you instant waves that
can be either brushed to perfection or separated for a looser sexier style.